Out of pocket health expenditure and household budget : evidence from Arab countries

Abstract EN

This paper assesses the prevalence of out-of-pocket catastrophic health expenditure and pinpoints the factors associated with its risk in Egypt and Palestine.

Data used in this research is obtained from the ERF Harmonized Household Income and Expenditure Surveys for Egypt and Palestine in 2010/2011.

Finite mixed models are applied to assess the socio-economic indicators of catastrophic impacts of out-of-pocket health expenditure.

The results suggest that rich households are more likely to incur catastrophic health expenditure compared to the poor households.

The probability of catastrophic health expenditure is higher in rural areas and among elderly household members.